Ira Singh 
The BJP has opened its account in the ongoing 18th Lok Sabha elections.The party's candidate Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed from Gujarat’s Surat Lok Sabha constituency after all other contenders withdrew their candidature.The development comes after nominations of two Congress candidates were cancelled on Sunday, and eight other candidates withdrew their candidature on Monday.The final candidate to withdraw their candidature was Pyarelal Bharati from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) around 2pm Monday, he added.. Surat Electoral Officer Saurabh Parghi handed over the certificate of election to BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal.
Surat: BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal emerged uncontested winner from the Surat Lok Sabha seat even before voting began. Surat Electoral Officer Saurabh Parghi handed over the certificate of election to BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal. pic.twitter.com/1z8yXdCnlr
— IANS (@ians_india) April 22, 2024
Nilesh Kumbhani, the Congress candidate from Surat Lok Sabha seat, was unable to present even one of his three proposers before the election officer, after which his nomination form was cancelled.The nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, was also invalidated, pushing the party out of the poll fray in the city.Gujarat Congress chief Shaktisinh Gohil claimed that the rejection of the party’s candidate’s nomination form for the Surat Lok Sabha constituency was orchestrated by the BJP.He alleged that the BJP is feeling threatened by the prospect of defeat in the elections.
(Ira Singh, Asstt Editor, Gandhinagar)
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